Expert: PAPAJACK - 8/20/2007

Question
Hi - I found a 1977 Kennedy Half with a definite indentation close to the edge on the reverse side showing copper.  The location is where it should read "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" AND "HALF DOLLAR". Have you heard of this before?
Thank you! Joan

Answer
Hello Joan,                                                                          

Does the coin look damaged on the opposite side?
Or is the copper seen more over a larger area? Look at the edge of the coin as well.

From the mint the coin would have had to be flat after being struck. The sheer pressure of the dies closing on the coin blank would straighten any imperfections in the coin.

If the coin seems to be acceptable weight, it should be 11.34 grams, and the thickness does not seem right. It may be lighter if some of the nickel cladding is missing.

It is likely the metal sandwich the mint uses was near the end of the roll and the clad layers were not as thick as they should be. Usually when this happens the design is not fully imparted since the metal was not sufficient to strike up properly.

This is a fairly common error. Since the U.S. Mint buys strips of metal about 13 inches wide and 1,500 feet long to manufacture the clad coins. The strips come rolled in a coil. Each coil is fed through a blanking press which punches out round discs called blanks. The leftover strip is chopped and recycled during manufacture. As the coil of Nickel Clad material comes near the end of a roll, the thickness and composition is not always in specification. So the metal rolls ends may have been put into a blanking press punched round and proceed through the whole coin making system.

I see coins as I described for sale for $10 or less depending on denomination and other conditions like damage and how much of the coin is fully struck. Yours could be worth more or less.

I can direct you to a trustworthy coin person in your area. With out seeing the coin it is only a guess as to how it was made.

Write me back in a private question and let me know your general location using
1) The nearest large cities and
2) Some telephone area codes and
3) Some zip codes in your area, I can direct you to an AMERICAN NUMISMATIC ASSOCIATION MEMBER/DEALER near there. They are ethical and trustworthy.

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Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack